Fix: Dragon Age Inquisition Won’t Launch in Windows 10

Dragon Age Inquisition is an action role-playing game that was developed by Bioware and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major addition in the Dragon Age franchise and is a sequel to the previously released Dragon Age: Origins. The game was released worldwide in November 2014 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PlayStation.

However, quite recently a lot of reports have been coming in of the game not launching in Windows 10. Although, users try to run the executable multiple times the game does not launch. In this article, we will inform you about some of the reasons due to which this problem can be triggered and provide you with viable solutions to ensure complete eradication of the problem.

What Prevents Dragon Age: Inquisition From Launching?

The reason behind the problem is not specific and it can be triggered due to a number of misconfigurations some of which are:

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem we will move forward towards the solutions.

Solution 1: Running a Clean boot.

It is possible that a service running in the background might be causing the issue. Often, Windows services or even other third-party applications can prevent all the elements of the game from functioning correctly, therefore, causing the problem. In this step, we are going to be booting into Windows without any third party service or unnecessary Windows Services running. For that:

1. Log in to the computer as an administrator.
2. Click on the Windows Search bar, type in “msconfig” and press Enter
3. Click on “Services” and check the “Hide all Microsoft Services” box
4. Now click on “Disable All” in order to disable all the third party services from running in the background.

   

5. Now right-click the “Task Bar” and select Task Manager
6. Click on the Startup tab and make sure that all the applications are disabled.

   

7. Now Reboot your computer
8. Run the game and check to see if the error persists.

Solution 2: Verifying Game Files.

In some cases, certain game files can become corrupted or even go missing. All the game files are necessary in order for it to function and launch correctly therefore if even a single file is missing the game won’t launch correctly or cause issues in the game. In this step, we are going to be verifying the files of the game. For that:

1. Open the Origin client and sign in to your account
2. Click on “Game Library” option on the left pane.

   

3. Inside the “Game Library” tab, right-click on “Dragon Age” and select “Repair Game”

   

4. The client will begin to verify the game files.
5. Once done, it will automatically download any missing files and replace the corrupted files if any.
6. Run the game and check to see if the problem persists.

Solution 3: Re-Installing the Direct X and VC Redist

The Direct X and VC Redist are provided with the game inside the game installation folder. It is possible that the version of Direct X or VC Redist that was installed might be coinciding with the game and preventing it from launching. Therefore, in this step, we are going to be installing the DirectX and VC Redist that is recommended. For That:

1. Navigate to the

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Dragon Age Inquisition\__Installer\directx\redist

2. Run the “DXSetup.exe” and replace the previous versions.
3. Similarly, Navigate to

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Dragon Age Inquisition\__Installer\vc

4. Run all the “VCRedist.exe” executables that are present inside the folder and replace the previous versions.
5. Now restart your computer and check to see if the problem persists.

Solution 4: Granting Administrative Privileges.

The game might require administrative privileges in order for some of its elements to function correctly. If the game has not been granted those privileges it can lead to many issues with its functionality. In this step, we are going to be granting the game administrative privileges. For that:

1. Open the game installation folder, and right–click on the game executable.
2. Select Properties and click on the Compatibility tab.
3. Inside the Compatibility tab check the “Run as Administrator” box.
4. Now run the game and check to see if the problem persists.

   

Solution 5: Disabling Full-Screen Optimizations.

In some cases, the full-screen optimization feature of the Windows that was introduced to run the game as a “borderless Window” and to smoothen the gameplay might be interfering with certain elements of the game thus preventing it from launching. In this step we are going to be disabling the Full-screen optimizations for which:

1. Open the game installation folder.
2. Right–Click on the game executable
3. Select Properties and click on the Compatibility tab
4. Inside the Compatibility tab, check the “Disable Full Screen Optimizations” box.
5. Now apply your settings.
6. Run the game and check to see if the problem persists.

   

Solution 6: Troubleshooting Compatibility.

Some games don’t fully support the architecture of Windows 10 and therefore often run into issues while trying to launch or while playing. Therefore, in this step, we are going to be using the Windows troubleshooting tool to determine the best operating system version to run the game on. For that:

1. Open the game installation Folder
2. Right-Click on the game executable and select properties.
3. Click on the “Compatibility” tab and click on the “Run Compatibility Troubleshooter“.
4. Now Windows will automatically determine the best operating system to run the game in compatibility mode for.
5. Click on “Try Recommended Settings” and select “Test“.
6. If the program runs fine, apply the settings and exit.
7. Run the game and check to see if the problem persists.

   

Solution 7: Disabling Antivirus

In some cases, people use third-party antiviruses which isn’t a bad thing but these programs can sometimes raise false alarms and prevent a safe program from launching because the antivirus flags it as unsafe. Therefore, it is recommended to completely disable your antivirus, antimalware and any other security program and check to see if the game launches. It is also strongly recommended to add exceptions to the Firewall and Antivirus for both your game and origin. For that purpose, you can take the help of this article but just add steam and DAI instead of steam.

Solution 8: Checking Specifications

In certain cases, the hardware installed on your computer might not meet the minimum requirements that have been put forth by the game developers to run the game properly. Due to this, the developers sometimes stop the game from running on an underpowered computer and this can trigger the particular issue where DAI doesn’t launch. Therefore, before continuing, verify that your computer matches the minimum requirements of the game.
The game requirements are listed as follows:

OS: Windows 7 or 8.1 64-bit. 
CPU: AMD six-core CPU @ 3.2 GHz, Intel quad-core CPU @ 3.0 GHz. 
System RAM: 8 GB. 
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 7870 or R9 270, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660.

You can check your PC’s hardware by:

1. Press Windows + “R” to open the Run prompt.
2. Type in “dxdiag” and press “Enter”.

   

3. Confirm any other prompts that the system lists and it will show you your computer specs on the next window.
4. Check to see if your PC is up to the mark.